


Science & Faith

by gemzies



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Angst, Bállins, Kayfabe Compliant, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-06
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-10-05 15:08:14
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,638
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17327285
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gemzies/pseuds/gemzies
Summary: Seth only believes in things that science can prove, but Finn has a secret that requires a leap of faith to accept.





	1. Walk Away

**Author's Note:**

> This is the first thing I've written and published in years, so I apologize in advance if I'm a bit rusty.  
> Very, very loosely inspired by three songs by The Script (chapters named after the songs).

Finn grunted slightly as he opened the door to the locker room and looked around. He knew he was getting there late, but he was still surprised to find it practically empty. A part of him had been hoping someone would be waiting for him. He sighed as he located one of the few remaining empty lockers and dropped his bag in it. Expecting anyone to be waiting for him was ridiculous and he knew it. He had been asked to do some media that morning to promote Summerslam, as the massive event was only a week away, and had no idea when he would be at the arena that day. So how could anyone else have known? Still, he had to take a second to shake the creeping insecurities away before heading back out of the locker room.

His heart fluttered as he heard the unmistakable cackle of Seth Rollins echoing down the hall as he neared the catering area. He picked up his pace a little as a smile grew across his face, looking forward to seeing the younger man despite them having driven the three-hours to their hotel after the previous night’s show together. Finn didn’t know what their relationship was, neither man had yet acknowledged openly any feelings they may have had for the other. What Finn did know, was that no one else made him feel the same way Seth did. And if he could spend every waking moment with him, he would. Seth was funny, kind, and as excitable as a puppy. He was also unfailingly supportive, and always made sure to be there after the shows where Finn had a rough go of it. Finn returned the favor, remembering spending hours with Seth after he lost the Intercontinental Championship a few weeks prior, holding him and letting him vent out all the frustrations of the night.

If Finn was honest with himself, he was completely and incurably head-over-heels in love with Seth Rollins. However, he was okay letting things play out slowly if that was the other man wanted. As long as he got to continue to spend so much time with Seth, he was happy.

As he came within a few feet of the door to catering, he began to be able to make out voices and words. “Come on,” he heard Seth spit out with a laugh. “You don’t really believe in all that supernatural occult shit, do you?”

Finn froze, his heart dropping into his stomach. Instead of entering the room he leaned up against the wall next to the entryway, allowing himself to eavesdrop.

“What, angels?” Bayley replied, her voice sounding a bit confused by Seth’s comment.

“Angels, demons, ghosts, whatever. You can’t really think any of that stuff exists, right?” Tears stung Finn’s eyes at Seth’s words, and the harsh tone they were said in. It felt like he’d been slapped in the face. “I mean seriously, it’s all a load of bullshit.”

 _Load of bullshit…_ Finn had to close his eyes as he repeated Seth’s words in his head. _Please tell me he doesn’t actually think that. Please…_

“Doesn’t Finn believe in the occult? I mean, he’s got the whole ‘Demon King’ thing, right?” Bayley asked.

His heartbeat started racing while he waited for Seth’s response, and he had to fight to keep from hyperventilating. He felt like he was on the verge of a panic attack. “I don’t know, we’ve never really talked about it,” Seth answered plainly. “Look, Finn Bálor can believe in whatever weird Irish myths he wants to believe. But until a scientist comes and drops a research paper in my lap that proves it’s all real without a shadow of a doubt, I stick by what I said. It’s a load of shit.”

Finn felt like his entire world was collapsing in on him. He hadn’t yet shared his secret with Seth, in fact he hadn’t shared it with anyone since joining Raw a couple years prior. He had been planning on letting him know, and was strongly considering telling him next weekend, after Summerslam. He had always assumed that Seth would be accepting of it, or at the very least be understanding. If nothing else he’d thought he would simply because it was a part of who Finn was, and he knew Seth trusted him enough to believe him when he’d promise to make sure nothing happened because of it. Now he knew otherwise, knew that he could never share that side of him with Seth. And to say that it hurt would be an understatement.

Fighting back the tears that again threatened to fall, Finn changed his mind about going to catering. Turning on his heel, he headed back down the hallway to try and find somewhere he could be alone instead.

*****

The smile on Seth’s face was contagious. He had practically skipped backstage after Raw went off the air, the combined feeling of having Dean Ambrose back and the crowd’s reaction to seeing the two of them together making him almost giddy. It had been a great night at work. _Well, almost great,_ he thought as he began to make his way back towards the locker room finally. He hadn’t seen Finn all night, almost as if the Irishman had been avoiding him for some reason. He had, though, seen Finn’s match that night and the attack by Baron Corbin that had followed it. Thinking about it made his blood boil, especially because it happened during the brief time that he wasn’t even in the arena. The whole thing had transpired while Seth was on a bus in the parking lot, trying to coordinate with Dean for his arrival to the venue, causing him to be unable to run out to the ring and help his friend.

 _Friend._ That word didn’t feel like it fit anymore. To be honest, it hadn’t for a long time. He and Finn’s relationship had turned into something so much deeper at some point, and he knew he wasn’t the only one who felt that way. It was almost silly, he mused, how they’d been dancing around their feelings with neither one of them admitting it yet. To him, the timing had never seemed quite right for that kind of declaration. He knew it would happen someday, though, as soon as he knew it was the right moment.

His dark eyes lit up for a second as he opened the door to the locker room and spotted Finn, but concern soon took over as he looked over the man. Finn was sitting on the small bench that sat in front of the lockers, hunched over so that he was leaning his arms down on his thighs, his head down almost on his hands. He was wearing just a pair of track pants and his shoes, his shirt barely hanging onto the bench next to him as if he’d simply given up halfway through getting dressed. His short dark hair was messy like he’d run his hands through it repeatedly, and an icepack had been taped across one of his shoulders. “Hey,” Seth said softly, and when Finn looked up at him a few moments later the red rimming his eyes gave away that at some point during the night he had been crying.

Seth immediately plopped himself down on the bench next to him, grateful that they appeared to be alone. “Hey,” he said again, placing one of his hands on one of Finn’s. “You okay?”

Finn took a deep breath and started to sit up a little straighter, wincing a bit as he did. “Yeah, I’ll be fine,” he muttered, his gaze floating back to the floor. Even though he knew he was trying to hide it, Seth still noticed how defeated he sounded when he answered.

Seth gave Finn’s hand a squeeze. “I saw what happened after your match,” he told him, and Finn let out an exasperated groan at him for bringing it up. “I’m sorry I wasn’t able to be there.”

Finn shook his head, bringing his eyes up to meet Seth’s briefly. “Don’t worry about it, mate. I know you had a lot going on tonight.” Finn saw the warmth in Seth’s eyes, his big beautiful eyes, and emotions of all sorts started swirling around his head. “I bet it felt good to beat the shit out of those two tonight,” he added to change the subject, a small grin crossing his face as Seth started laughing.

“Oh man, it felt amazing!” Seth replied. After Dean had finally arrived at the arena the two of them went to town on Dolph Ziggler and Drew McIntyre, the two men who had been trying to make his life miserable over the past few months. “You’ll get your chance on Sunday,” Seth grinned. Finn gave a small laugh in response and looked away again, and Seth gently reached over and cupped his chin, directing Finn’s eyes back into his. “I’m serious, Finn. With all the shit he’s put you through, Corbin won’t know what hit him when you step in that ring at Summerslam.” Seth paused, gently stroking Finn’s beard with his thumb as he again found himself admiring how beautiful the man was. “You’re amazing.”

They sat there like that for a while, quietly drinking in the moment. Then Seth took a deep breath, and without allowing himself to think any further he leaned in and planted a deep, passionate kiss on Finn’s lips. Finn returned the kiss almost immediately, and Seth let out a small whimper as one of Finn’s hands began to tangle itself in his hair. As Finn finally pulled away quite some time later, Seth allowed the relief he felt to show on his face. “I’ve wanted to do that for months,” he whispered, looking deep into the Irishman’s eyes. “I love you, Finn.”

Finn bit his lip, the rush of euphoria he’d felt at finally getting to have that moment with the man he loved so much fading almost as soon as it arrived. He sat there for seconds that felt like ages, quietly searching Seth’s eyes, his heart slowly breaking as he realized what he was going to have to do. _I wish I could be the Heaven you deserve, but if you’re looking for Heaven it sure as Hell ain’t me._ He knew Seth would hate him, Hell he would hate himself for it, but he didn’t see any other way.

Seth backed up a little, the joyous smile he’d had slowly fading into a concerned frown. “Finn?” he questioned, never losing eye contact with the man across from him. “What’s wrong?”

Finn smiled sadly, his blue eyes filling with the ache his heart was feeling. “I love you, Seth. Fuck, I love you so much it’s killing me,” he began, the confusion and longing in Seth’s eyes making this even harder than he’d imagined. “But I know this won’t work. We won’t work.” His voice cracked as he spoke, and he stood quickly and started to walk away so Seth wouldn’t see him cry.

Seth felt his heart shatter into a million pieces. “Wait, Finn, please” he begged, grabbing Finn’s wrist to keep him from leaving. His eyes watered as Finn stopped, but didn’t turn to face him. “At least tell me why.”

Finn sighed and turned around, no longer caring about the tears as they began to flow down his cheeks. _Because I’m dangerous,_ Finn thought dejectedly, _I’m dangerous in ways you can’t even imagine, but I can’t tell you because…_ “Because you don’t believe in me,” he answered, so quiet Seth almost didn’t hear him. He leaned down and placed a small kiss on Seth’s forehead before removing his wrist from Seth’s grasp. Then he grabbed his shirt and bag quickly and walked out of the room without even a backwards glance, leaving Seth stunned and devastated.


	2. You Won't Feel a Thing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seth tracks Finn down at Summerslam to find out why Finn said what he'd said, but the answer Finn gives him is nothing he could have prepared for.

It had been a week since the last time he’d talked to Finn, since he’d finally let Finn know how he felt about him. A week since Finn had broken his heart. Seth’s sadness and confusion had slowly given way to anger, and then that anger burned down until he was left with nothing but a deep, aching hurt. _How could Finn possibly say I didn’t believe in him?_ He kept asking himself the same questions. _I’ve been the one to talk him back up after every loss, after every time someone tried to humiliate him because of his size, after every beating he took when management went on a power trip. What did I do to make him feel like I didn’t care?_ Those repeating thoughts had kept him awake until the wee hours every night that week. And while he was grateful that he didn’t have to worry about house shows or anything so the lack of sleep wouldn’t show, he hated that the pre-Summerslam media rounds kept him from seeing Finn, keeping him from trying to have a much-needed conversation sooner.

Seth had been relieved to have the first match on the card that night. It gave him less time to get in his own head, and there was less time where he had to smile for the camera. He was still surprised that he had managed to have the quality of match that he had, and even more surprised that he had pulled off a win. Somewhere under the depression that was covering him he felt a small sense of pride in finally defeating Dolph Ziggler, reclaiming the Intercontinental Championship that meant so much to him. He knew he owed some of that to Dean Ambrose, who even though he didn’t know what exactly was bothering Seth he knew his friend wasn’t all there and made sure to keep Seth focused on the match. He was grateful to have him in his corner.

After finishing the post-match interviews, photoshoots, and other obligations, Seth excused himself. He wandered around the arena for a few minutes before finding an unused monitor where he could sit and watch Finn’s match alone. The appearance of the Demon caught Seth off-guard, and brought a wave of varying emotions once the initial surprise wore off. A small pang of guilt sat in the back of his mind, something he knew would likely be lurking every time Finn put the paint on. Especially there, in the Barclay’s Center, where he’d accidentally caused a career-altering injury to the man he would later come to think of as the love of his life. Wistfulness followed as he remembered how that injury led to him giving Finn his number, the start of a friendship that over time had blossomed into so much more despite neither man acknowledging it until that fateful day the week prior. A renewed sense of pain and sadness flooded his head as he allowed himself to yet again play the words Finn spoke before he walked away in his head. And yet, despite all of that, Seth was also painfully aroused - Finn looked incredibly hot with the body paint accenting his muscular frame, and he wished more than anything in that moment to be able to have his way with him.

The match was a squash, and Seth stifled a giggle as the ref counted to three. _I wonder why he felt he needed to bring that out for a match like that,_ he wondered as he watched Finn celebrate the victory in the ring. Finn rarely brought out the Demon anymore, usually saving it for title matches and other moments of great importance. Surely a grudge match against Baron Corbin didn’t warrant something so special. _He didn’t even use it at Wrestlemania, for fuck’s sake_. Seth smiled despite himself as he thought about Finn’s incredible Pride display at Wrestlemania, and how proud he had been of him. As the screen went to commercial Seth sighed and shook those thoughts from his mind, slowly rising out of his chair. He waited a few minutes to give him some time, and then set his jaw and headed off to find Finn’s dressing room.

*****

Seth knew this wasn’t the best time to do this. Finn was probably dying to get the paint off his body before even thinking about doing anything else. But he couldn’t wait any longer to get the answers he needed. He was admittedly desperate, and willing to do whatever it took to prove his feelings to Finn. After a moment trying to collect his thoughts, Seth took a deep breath and knocked cautiously. “Finn?”

“Go away, Seth.” Finn’s voice was shaky, and though his accent seemed thicker than usual he almost sounded unsure. It gave Seth a tiny bit of hope.

“Please, Finn. Please just talk to me,” he pleaded, placing his cheek against the door to make sure he could be heard. “I… please, talk to me.”

Silence. Seth swallowed to keep his emotions at bay, more of his weight leaning against the metal door to try and keep himself standing while he knees threatened to buckle. His mind started racing as he tried to think of something else he could try to get through to the older man, and he was about to knock again when he heard the sound of footsteps coming towards him. He heard a small click, then as the footsteps began to travel away from him he just barely heard Finn say “Fine.” He had to take a couple of breaths to try and regain his nerve, then he slowly turned the handle and opened the door.

Finn was standing in the back of the room as Seth entered, still the Demon, holding the tendrilled crown he’d worn during his entrance in his hands. The lights in the room seemed unusually dim, and as Seth closed the door behind him Finn looked up. Seth couldn’t help but notice how his eyes seemed to be brighter than usual, the icy blue having a bit of fire in it, standing in stark contrast against the inky black covering his face.

“Please, stay over there,” Finn requested quietly, and Seth nodded in acknowledgement. Finn quickly looked Seth over, noticing that he was still in his ring gear despite how much time had passed since his match. His long curls were a frizzy mess, and Finn’s eyes narrowed as he saw the cut over Seth’s eye. “You’re hurt?”

Seth reached up to his face. “What? I… no, I’m good. I’m fine,” he stammered. Truth be told, he had completely forgotten he’d been busted open as he was so focused on trying to talk to Finn. He was almost embarrassed.

Finn nodded, though he wasn’t totally sure he believed him. He turned and gently placed the crown into a small case, zipping it up before giving his attention back to Seth. “I know why you’re here,” he said as he finally met Seth’s eyes. “And I’m sorry I hurt you. I really, truly am.” He hesitated for a second, hoping Seth knew he was telling the truth. “But as much as I wish it could, I know that nothing is going to change.”

Seth did believe that he was sorry. He’d known that the second everything had happened. “Before you say that, please hear me out. I’m not giving you up without a fight.” Seth’s voice was firm. “And I’m not leaving here until I get some answers.”

Finn sighed. If Seth had any major negative traits, one would be the stubborn streak that routinely got him in trouble. The other would be his tendency to be a bit hot-headed. He should have known this would happen.

“How could you possibly think I don’t believe in you?” Seth demanded, his voice rising as he started to lose control of his emotions. “I’ve been there for you through _everything_ the last few months, all of the bullshit you’ve been put through. Stephanie and Kurt running you out there against Braun Strowman so many times in a row before Money in the Bank, all the shit Corbin’s pulled, everything. And I’ve damn-near shouted from the rafters how fucking talented you are, how incredible you are in the ring to anyone who would listen. Including you, even when you refused to hear it.” The tears he’d been fighting off all day finally crept out, but Seth no longer cared. “Just… please, tell me what I haven’t been doing. What else I need to do to keep you, because I’ll take whatever shots I have to. I can’t lose you before I’ve even had a chance to have you, and if you let me, I promise I’ll make sure you never feel a thing except how much I love you. I love you…” he trailed off and leaned back against the door, his feelings overwhelming him.

Finn felt horrible as he listened to what Seth was saying. He hadn’t realized that what he’d said would come off the way that it did, and he diverted his gaze from Seth to the tile floor beneath him. “You’ve been an amazing support, Seth. You’re wonderful,” he responded, his voice low but warm and loving. “That wasn’t what I meant.”

“What?” Seth was beyond confused. “What else _could_ you have meant?”

Finn swallowed hard, almost hard enough that Seth could hear it. He began to resign himself to the fact that this might be the last time he ever spoke to the man he wished he could spend forever with. “I… there’s something about me that you don’t know,” he answered slowly. He tried to choose his words wisely, not wanting to make the situation any worse that it already was. “I’ve wanted to tell you, wanted to make sure you knew I wouldn’t, I could never, hurt you even with that under the surface. But I can’t…” Finn shook his head, willing himself to continue. “I overheard your conversation with Bayley the other day.”

Seth wracked his brain, trying to think of anything he could have said to Bayley that would have upset him this much. “What conversation? That supernatural thing?” Finn nodded. “Hey, I didn’t mean to say anything offensive, and I’m sorry if what I said about your beliefs was…”

Finn shook his head, cutting Seth off. “It’s not that. It’s not that simple.” He looked down at the floor again, inhaling sharply. _Well, it’s now or never._ “I guess instead of telling you, at this point I might as well just show you,” he continued sadly. He paused and looked around the room for a second. “It’s almost appropriate, isn’t it,” he muttered, almost to himself, “Doing this here in Brooklyn.” Then closed his eyes, took another deep breath, and transformed.

Seth’s eyes grew wide as he watched the man in front of him, and his heart began to race as a new sense of fear slowly spread through his body. The thick black that had coated Finn’s face, the fangs and tongue that had graced his chest and back, the bands and stripes that had adorned his arms and legs, all seemed to simply fade into his pale skin. His hair and beard returned to their normal brown, and the fire he’d noticed in Finn’s eyes earlier disappeared, replaced instead by the brilliant spark he had always found so gorgeous. “How… you…”

Finn didn’t speak, simply nodded in confirmation. This was definitely not the way he had wanted to let Seth know the truth about the Demon – that he _was_ the Demon – but the way he’d hurt him he figured he had nothing left to lose. But that didn’t make the reaction any less painful to see. And as he stood, watching a near-panicked Seth turn and run out the door, he still felt his heart rip in two.


	3. Science & Faith

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Failures and frustrations turn into insecurities and self-loathing, apologies, and explanations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter kind of all came out of me in a stream-of-consciousness of sorts, so it's a bit long but I hope I was still able to accomplish what I wanted to in wrapping this up.

He had this. He knew he did. Finn’s mind had gone into auto-pilot a few minutes into the match, and as they continued to fight, he felt his confidence growing. Even as he laid catching his breath, knowing Roman Reigns was behind him setting up for a spear he thought he was unaware of, he still knew he was going to win. The Universal Championship was moments away from being back around his waist, where it belonged…

“BRAAAUUUUNN!”

_Oh no,_ Finn thought, a moment of panic racing through his already aching body as he heard Braun Strowman’s entrance music start playing. He remembered Strowman telling both he and Roman that he was going to be cashing in on the winner, but that didn’t make him marching down to the ring, Money In The Bank briefcase in hand, less jarring. The match had already gone on almost a half hour, the last thing Finn needed was the thought of a near 400-pound giant waiting for him for round two.

Roman was distracted by Strowman’s presence, and that was all the window of opportunity he needed. A minute later Finn had Roman flat on his back, right where he wanted him. Finn leapt through the ropes onto the apron, started climbing the turnbuckles – so close he could taste his victory – and then… he hesitated. Just a split second, looking back at the monster standing behind him at ringside, but something so out of character for him. He rarely, if ever, allowed himself to become distracted during a match. And that tiny pause was enough. He leapt into the air to land his Coup de Grace finisher but found nothing but the mat, and instead of celebrating the win he was sure was coming he felt all the wind get knocked out of him when Roman hit him with a spear.

It was over. The thing he’d been working towards the past two years had slipped away from him again. And this time he knew there’d be no one waiting to comfort him after the loss.

He managed to roll out of the ring with what little strength he had left and let himself simply lay on the cool padding that surrounded the ring. He heard the ring announcer say that Strowman was cashing in, and closed his eyes in anticipation of the bell ringing and someone else claiming the title that he still felt should be around his own waist. But instead of the bell signifying the start of the match, he instead heard the arena’s PA system: “Sierra Hotel India Echo Lima Delta SHIELD.”

_You’ve got to be fucking kidding me._ Finn’s eyes were immediately drawn to the entrance ramp, and he stared in disbelief as Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins stormed out onto the stage. Seth. Of course. The universe always had a funny way of adding insult to injury for Finn. His eyes stayed glued to him as he and Ambrose marched down the ramp towards the ring, and he felt a small pang of jealousy that Seth was there to fight for Roman and not himself.

As the reunited trio launched their attack on Braun Strowman, Finn picked himself up and slowly made his way backstage. He paused only briefly to shake hands with Hunter and Vince, both of his bosses congratulating him on having “a Hell of a match”, and then without a word to anyone he went back to the locker room, threw some clothes on over his trunks, and headed out of the arena as fast as he could.

*****

He was physically and emotionally exhausted, but his mind wouldn’t let him get any rest. A groan escaped Finn’s lips when he finally gave in and glanced at the clock on the nightstand. It was nearly 2:30am at this point, and he’d been laying there tangled up in his thoughts for almost two hours. “Fucking Hell,” he mumbled, forcing himself out of bed to grab a bottle of water from the mini-fridge in his hotel room. He climbed back onto the bed and sat against the headboard, pressing the cold bottle to the back of his neck as he leaned his head against the wood.

He felt like he had nothing left. In the span of just over 24 hours he’d managed to screw up both of the things that had been keeping him going recently. He was frustrated at himself for losing the Universal Championship after finally getting the shot he’d worked so hard to earn, for not keeping his head in the game, for allowing himself to make what he considered to be a rookie mistake nearly 20 years into his career. He also knew that had he won it would have been bittersweet. Not because Braun was waiting to destroy him as soon as the bell rung, though that wouldn’t have been a fun situation to find himself in. But because if he’d won, and if he’d then been able to keep his hard-fought championship out of Braun’s hands, the one person he’d have wanted to celebrate his victory with wouldn’t be there.

The look in Seth’s eyes when he saw him change back to his human form was burned into his mind. The sheer terror that had flashed across his face before he bolted from the room. _I’m such an idiot,_ he thought bitterly, removing the now nearly room temperature bottle from his neck and twisting off the cap to take a drink. _Why did I expect anything different would happen? Even if he did believe in demons. I’m a fucking monster, of course he’s afraid of me. Why wouldn’t he be?_ Finn closed his eyes and continued berating himself, years of pent up self-hatred spilling into his brain in a flood he found himself unable to stop now that the dam had finally burst.

A knock at his door startled him out of his misery. “Hello?” he called out, slowly getting out of bed and reaching for a pair of sweatpants he could throw on over his boxers. No voice spoke but he heard another knock in response. He cautiously made his way to the door and undid the latch, mentally preparing for a fight. He couldn’t think of any other reason someone would be at his door at 3am. However, as he opened the door all the fight and all his breath left his body.

Seth’s doe-like eyes were looking back at him though his long lashes, his head pointed towards the floor almost sheepishly. “Seth?” Finn questioned, not quite believing what he was seeing. His dark hair was loosely pulled into a bun, but the jeans and hoodie he was wearing made Finn wonder if he’d even bothered trying to go to bed that night.

Seth was taken aback by Finn’s appearance when he opened the door. It hadn’t even been two days since the last time they talked, but Seth could already see the dark circles starting to form under his eyes and noticed that his skin seemed even paler than usual. Seth also noticed the light that normally shone from Finn’s eyes was missing. And he felt completely responsible for it. “Hi,” he said, suddenly unsure if this was as good of an idea as he thought when he dragged himself out of his own room and down the hall to Finn’s. “We need… I mean, can I… can we talk?” He stumbled over the words, fidgeting with his hands as he raised his head to look Finn fully in the eye.

Finn just stood there in shock. He kept expecting to wake up, like his mind was playing some sick joke on him in his sleep. Seth took a small step forward, tilting his head quizzically, and it snapped Finn out of his daze. He still couldn’t speak, couldn’t find words to use, but stepped back and opened the door for Seth.

The relief that washed over Seth when Finn waved him in caused his face to flush slightly as he entered the room, and he was grateful it was dark for the moment so Finn wouldn’t notice. He stood nervously in the middle of the room while Finn turned on one of the bedside lights and then sat down on the edge of the bed. Finn never met his gaze but instead looked down at the floor in front of him, and he shoved his hands in the pockets of his hoodie as he realized he had no idea what to say. _Some architect,_ he chided himself, a few minutes of awkward silence passing while he figured out where to start. “I saw your match tonight.” Finn huffed dejectedly in response, and Seth immediately regretted bringing it up. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you after,” he admitted softly.

Finn shook his head, his eyes still focused on the ugly brown carpet beneath his feet. “Don’t be.” His fingers absentmindedly picked at the blanket as he waited to see if Seth had anything else to say. More awkward silence. “Did Roman keep the belt?” he asked, not having any idea what had happened after he got backstage. He’d texted Roman a quick thank you for the title shot when he got to the locker room, and then turned his phone off so he wouldn’t have to see any of the messages coming in about the match. He didn’t think he could stomach it.

Seth nodded, the beginnings of a grin tugging at the corner of his lips. “The match with Braun never even started. Roman’s still champ.” A hint of pride entered his voice, and he hoped that Finn wouldn’t take it the wrong way.

Finn didn’t even notice. “Good,” he snapped. “In two years when I might possibly get another chance, at least it will be against someone I can beat.”

Seth looked away as he felt his heart wrench in his chest. He felt horrible for him with the way everything had played out at the end of his match, Braun being out there distracting both men and the chaos that he’d helped bring once it was all over. Finn deserved so much better after waiting for so long for that match to happen. He also felt terrible for not realizing Finn was still lying at ringside when he’d rushed out to help Roman. He had no idea until after he was backstage again and saw a replay on the monitor in the locker room while he, Dean, and Roman celebrated. He knew that had to have stung.

He bit his lip for a moment, before again looking over at the man sitting in front of him. _Why am I so bad at this?_ “Finn, I… I need to apologize,” he began, his voice wavering as he tried to make sure he kept control of himself this time. “I’m sorry for how I reacted, for just running away like that. I know I hurt you.” He swallowed, hoping Finn was listening. “I’m sorry.”

Finn smiled weakly, finally raising his head to look at Seth. “Thank you. But don’t worry about it.” The self-loathing that had covered him earlier began to blanket his mind again, and he let out a heavy sigh. “I don’t blame you for being afraid of me after that.” He again turned his eyes down to the ground, almost waiting for Seth to leave now that he’d said his piece. Or so he thought.

“I’m not afraid of you, Finn.”

Finn’s head snapped up, his eyes wide with surprise as he stared at Seth. “You… you’re not?”

Seth shook his head. “No.” Seth carefully walked over and sat down near Finn on the bed, keeping a little distance between them to avoid pushing his luck. “It was never you that I was scared of,” he continued, looking into Finn’s eyes as he spoke. “It was… fuck, how do I say this.” Finn’s expression slowly changed from shock to confusion, and Seth knew he had to speak carefully. “My entire life I’d been told that things like that were impossible, and I believed that,” he explained slowly. “Seeing you change like that threw a lot of what I thought I knew about the world completely out the window. _That_ , that terrified me.” He slowly leaned over and placed one of his hands on top of Finn’s. “That doesn’t excuse the way I handled it, though.”

Finn’s head was spinning. “Seth, I… I don’t even know what to say,” he admitted with a hint of a laugh. “When I overheard you tell Bayley you didn’t believe demons were real, I thought you’d never accept me for what I truly am,” he confessed. “When you ran out last night, I assumed I was right.” He felt Seth’s free hand wipe under his eyes, he hadn’t even realized he’d started crying again. Seth’s other hand remained on top of his, and he turned his own hand palm-up so he could grasp it.

Seth squeezed gently as he felt Finn’s fingers intertwine with his own. “So, you’re a demon?” he asked cautiously, trying not to overstep any boundaries. Finn nodded the affirmative. “I don’t… how…” he faltered, again unable to find the correct words for what he wanted to say. The situation seemed so insane that he wondered if the correct words even existed.

Finn laughed a little at Seth’s sudden inability to speak English that night, and he could see Seth’s brown eyes lighten a little at the sound. “How is it possible?” Seth nodded. “Not everything can be explained with science, you know. Demons have always existed. Rarely do they end up on earth like I have, but there has never been a point where we haven’t been around.”

Seth nodded again. “How did you end up here?” His voice was soft, and he again looked into Finn’s eyes as he asked. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to.”

Finn’s eyes darkened slightly as old memories forced their way to the surface. “Just like an angel can be cast out of Heaven, Seth, a demon can be cast out of Hell,” he began, his gaze growing distant as he spoke. “Or, in my case, choose to leave.” He exhaled sharply and stood up with his arms crossed, walking a short distance from the bed before speaking again. He was still facing the wall as he continued. “The difference is, angels who fall become regular mortals. Human. Demons who rise… become whatever cursed creature I am.”

Seth could hear the pain in Finn’s voice as he spat out that last sentence. He wanted to run over and take the man into his arms, but he didn’t feel he’d earned the right to do that yet. Instead, he kept questioning. “Why did you leave?”

Finn’s shoulders slumped. He continued staring at the wall for a bit longer, before finally turning around to face Seth again. “I call myself the Demon King because that’s who I was before. I was… _am_ Bálor, King of the Fomorians, ruler of one of the Kingdoms of Hell.” He spoke with a mixture of pride and disgust, like he wasn’t sure what his feelings were yet towards who he used to be. “I was a tyrant, and did many, many things I’m not proud of now. I ruled for centuries, until this one day a young man was brought before me for judgement after death.” He paused, remembering everything in painfully vivid detail. “He pled his case like so many hundreds of others had prior, but something was different. To this day I can’t figure out what it was. But for the first time in my life, as this man spoke, I truly felt empathy.”

Seth listened intently, both horrified and mesmerized by the tale Finn was telling. He couldn’t even imagine the man he knew being capable of intentionally hurting an ant, nonetheless being any sort of bloodthirsty being. Yet the way Finn was talking left Seth with no choice but to believe him.

Finn walked over and grabbed the water bottle from the nightstand, taking a gulp from it before setting it back down. Then, he gently sat back down on the bed, allowing the distance that had been there between the two men previously to remain. “After that, I started to see what was happening down there differently. It was like my eyes had been opened to how inhumane and horrible it all was, and eventually I couldn’t take it anymore. I also knew the longer I stayed down there the more I was putting my own life at risk. There were more than enough creatures down there who were waiting for even the slightest reason to overthrow the King, showing the tiniest hint of sympathy would be more than enough. So as soon as I had the chance, I left. Cast the spell myself, and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t hurt like Hell.”

Seth suddenly let out a shaky breath and Finn stopped, worried he had overwhelmed the younger man. But Seth shook his head and waved him on, encouraging him to continue. “It took me awhile to get used to it, this weird hybrid being I became. It took even longer to learn how to control it so that my human form was the default, for lack of a better word. And usually I can control it, I can choose when to let my Demon side out and how much of it I want to show, so I can use it to my advantage if I need to. I rarely let it out unrestrained, but sometimes if my emotions get the best of me I end up in over my head until I can calm myself down.”

Understanding suddenly dawned on Seth. “Like last night, at Summerslam?”

Finn nodded. “Between everything that had happened between us last week and how damn frustrated I was with Corbin and the way things have been going in the ring lately, I snapped. I managed to get myself together long enough to get in the building as a human and talk to someone about getting a private room, but as soon as it was time for the match I was gone. Once I’d let out all of that pent-up anger I came back to my senses a little, and was able to end the match with doing too much damage I think. But I don’t think I fully returned to being _me_ again until I heard you at my dressing room door.”

Seth smiled slightly. “That makes so much more sense. I was wondering when I saw your entrance why you went through all of that trouble to bring out the Demon for someone like _Corbin._ ”

Finn chuckled. Then, he allowed himself to move closer to Seth, this time taking both of his hands in his own. “I know this is a lot to take in, and if anything I’ve told you tonight has changed how you feel towards me, I completely understand,” he said as looked deep into Seth’s eyes, willing him to see the truth in his words. “But I want you to know that I would _never_ hurt you, no matter if I’m me or in Demon form. And I’d go through that pain and torment of coming to earth all over again in a heartbeat, because it gave me the chance to meet you.” Finn raised both of Seth’s hands to his lips, placing a gentle kiss across the knuckles of each one. “I love you, Seth. And I always will.”

Seth took a long, deep breath. “It is certainly a lot, and it’s definitely going to take a little time to get used to.” He began rubbing his thumbs over Finn’s hands as he contemplated his next words. “No matter what you used to be, you’ve shown me the person you are now. And that person is kind and generous, with the biggest heart of anyone I’ve ever met. I know you wouldn’t hurt me. I trust you.” He let go of Finn’s hands and reached up to his face, placing his palms lightly on his cheeks. “I can’t promise I won’t act weird or bombard you with questions while I adjust to all of this, but…” he trailed off, pulling Finn towards him and placing a light kiss on his lips. “I do still love you.”

Finn smiled a genuine smile for the first time in days. Wrapping his arms around Seth’s shoulders, he leaned in and kissed him again. The emotional rollercoaster the two men had been on the past week spilled out into the kiss, and Finn moaned as he felt Seth’s hands running up and down his bare back. His own hands moved as well, one reaching up towards the back of Seth’s head while the other slowly rubbed the back of Seth’s neck and causing a contented hum to escape from his lips. Both of them could feel the electricity moving through-out their bodies as they took the time to explore each other.

Neither man wanted it to end, but eventually Finn pulled away. His breathing was hard, and a small layer of sweat had started to form on his body. He placed his forehead against Seth’s, closing his eyes at the comforting feeling of Seth’s skin against his own. “I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make this work,” he whispered.

“It will work,” Seth responded, placing a small peck on Finn’s nose, causing him to giggle. “I know it will.”

Finn opened his eyes so he could look into the other man’s. The look of love he found there made him melt. “Oh you do, do you?” Seth nodded, and Finn smiled again as he reached back and pulled the hair tie out of Seth’s hair so he could run his hand through it. “And just how do you know that?”

Seth grinned at the teasing tone in Finn’s voice. “Because,” he replied, pulling Finn in for another quick kiss. “I have faith.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


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